You have only one way to get from Athens to Ios: by ferry because there is no airport on the island. There are several ferry options so I am explaining below which ones are the best and most efficient.
Here are all the options you have basically:
| How Long Does It Take | Cost* | |
| Ferry (from Piraeus port) | 4 to 7 hours | 53 to 85 euros |
| Ferry (from Rafina port) | 5 hours | 76 euros |
There are several ferries per day from Athens to Ios that take from 4 to 7 hours (depending on which ferry and port you choose), and it’s a relatively quick and easy way to travel to the island.
You can always search directly from here for the available ferries to Ios:- Ferryhopper is the largest and safest website in Greece to book your ferry tickets from Athens to Naxos, but you can also use it just for checking timetables and prices between Athens and all Greek islands.
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ATHENS TO IOS TIPS:
- You haveonly one option for getting from Athens to Ios: by ferry
- The best way to get from Athens to Ios: By the fast Ferry (4 hours – usually the Seajet from Piraeus) because it’s simply faster than any other option
- Best Website for Ferry Prices & Timetables: Ferryhopper
- Athens has 2 ports with ferries to Ios: Piraeus (or Pireas – PIR) and Rafina (RAF). Piraeus is the largest port with more ferry options in general, but Rafina is closer to the Athens Airport (El. Venizelos) and it may have ferries that suit your schedule better or in some cases even faster than the ones from Piraeus; in my honest opinion, you should choose Piraeus port if you decide to take the ferry to Ios
- The ferry port for Ios in Piraeus Port is E7 (on Google Maps)
(but always check your ticket as this may change)
- Between April and October, there can be more than 5 ferries a day from Athens to Ios (from Piraeus Port or Rafina Port); there are far fewer ferry options in the winter (November-March)
- How long is the ferry ride from Athens to Ios? It varies from 4 hours to 7 hours; the same applies to the ferry from Ios to Athens
- How much does it cost to take a ferry from Athens to Ios? It changes every year, but in general, it can cost from 50 euros to 80 euros per person
- You must book your ferry online and you can then enter the ferry with the barcode that will be on the email that will be sent to you. This will be written in the email you will receive from Ferryhopper, and it is now the system that most ferry companies use. But some smaller companies may ask you to get a printout from a kiosk that is outside the ferry, and it is this printout that will allow you to enter the ferry. As a rule of thumb, if your ticket you got through email from Ferryhopper has a barcode then you can enter the ferry directly.
- How long is the flight from Athens toIos? There are no flights to Ios as the island does not have an airport
- The best Way to go from Athens Airport to Athens’s main ferry port (Piraeus) to take any ferry is by taking the Athens Airport Bus X96 (X96 Bus Route – X96 Bus runs every 20-30 mins) – X96 Bus ticket costs 6 euros (adult) and 3 euros (kids) or buy an ATH.ENA Card
- The best Way to go from Athens Airport to Rafina Port is by taking another bus (which is called KTEL) that runs around every 1 hour from the Airport.
- Strikes in Greece: strikes can happen anytime in Greece and for any means of public transportation within short notice; usually, they may happen on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays; yes, they may mess up your trip but they are necessary for the hard-working people of Greece so that they can have decent salaries and benefits for their lives. So, get over it and try to find some alternatives for your trip (a taxi is usually the best option).
- Strong Winds – Ferries Cancellations: in case there are strong winds (which can be pretty common in August in Greece), then the Greek Port Authorities may stop all ferries from departing, so bear in mind this is also a possibility that can mess up your trip; as an average there might be 4-5 days during the summer months that this can happen so get prepared
- Business Seats on Ferries in Greece: in my opinion, they are not worth the extra money as you only get a bit more space and a slightly quiet area to sit but even the standard seats are very spacious
- The Ferry Schedule for all Greek islands is announced only 2-3 months before the actual trips, so if you cannot find any scheduled ferries for your trip 3 years from now, please check again 2 months before your actual trip.
Ok, so let’s see all the available options from Athens to Ios (that also apply to the return trip from Ios to Athens):
Athens to Ios Ferry Schedule
However, there are not that many changes usually as there are often ferries that depart sometime in the morning and go through several islands.
Here is an example of a Ferry Schedule from Athens to Ios in September from Ferryhopper:
For the latest Ferry schedule, always check on Ferryhopper.
The winter ferry schedule is less frequent with probably 1-2 ferries daily.
BLUE STAR FERRIES
Bluestar Ferries are the biggest you can take to go to Ios and are the most stable but also the slowest (7 hours to arrive)
No matter how bumpy or windy it is, you won’t feel much on Bluestar Ferries, but in case there are strong winds the Greek Port Authorities may not allow any ferries to depart for safety reasons.
Almost all ferries from Athens to Ios, visit other islands before they arrive at Ios, which can give you a very good glimpse of some other Greek islands too before they arrive at their destination. You don’t get to see much but it’s nice to feel like you are on a small cruise!
The best way to check for the available Blue Star Ferry times schedule is to visit the Ferryhopper website.They run all 365 days per year and there are basically 1 ferry per day from Piraeus port to Ios.
Check the exact timetables on Ferryhopper.
Where can you book Blue Star ferry tickets from Athens to Ios?
I highly recommend you book your ferry tickets online through Ferryhopper before you even land in Greece. It is the easiest and safest way to guarantee you are going to get a seat. In fact, for July, August, and September, I recommend you book the ferry tickets online at least 1 month in advance. To be honest, you will always find a seat on a ferry but if you are planning to get your vehicle on the ferry, then you need to book very well in advance as there are limited spaces for cars and motorbikes in their garages.
BE CAREFUL THOUGH:
As long as the email you receive from Ferryhopper has a barcode on it, you will be fine to enter the ferry with this. It will be very clear in the email you will receive from them, though. Otherwise, you will get instructions on how to get the printout ticket, as some smaller ferry companies don’t have a barcode system on their tickets (very old-fashioned indeed…). This is not a problem, however, and all you have to do is go to a kiosk outside of the ferry itself, and people there will print out the ticket for you. Ferryhopper will give you instructions on where to go exactly.
How much does a Blue Star Ferry ticket cost?
For the latest prices always check theFerryhopperwebsite.
FLIGHTS TO IOS
There are no flights to Ios as the island does not have an airport. If for some reason you want to fly, you should fly to Santorini and then take a ferry from Santorini to Ios that takes less than 1 hour to arrive to Ios.
HOW TO GET FROM ATHENS AIRPORT TO PIRAEUS PORT
X96 bus takes between 50 mins to 80 mins (depending on the traffic) to go to the Athens ferry port (Piraeus) and the X96 bus route to Piraeus ferry port is the following:
This is how to get from the Athens airport Exit to the X96 and X95 bus stops just outside of the airport:Ios Ferries depart from E9 Port Gate so you have to stop at the bus station which is called: STATION ISAP (this is also a metro station).
Or in Greek : ΣΤΑΘΜΟΣ ΗΣΑΠ
In case you feel lost you can just ask the bus driver (they always speak English if you speak with a very clear accent like an Italian mafioso in a way… ????)But in reality, you will find some brand new GPS screens showing you where you are:
The X96 bus runs 24/7, and there is a bus every 30 minutes roughly (in Greece, time runs in a very strange way…so never expect something to be on time…that’s just a small tip from Greeks…you’d better get used to that unfortunately).
But there is an X96 bus every 20-30 minutes, so there will be one for you too!For the X96 bus, you have to buy tickets from a kiosk that is just outside the bus stop (and also just outside the airport, just follow the “Bus” signs in the airport).
For adults the Athens bus ticket (called “ATH.ENA) costs 6 euros and for kids (under 6) it costs 3 euros.
You can also take a taxi from the Athens airport to the Piraeus Ferry port which costs 50-60 euros but it’s really not recommended because it’s not worth it in my opinion…
The X96 bus is pretty fast and it costs only 6 euros!
Also, BE CAREFUL:Sometimes the X96 Athens Airport Buses say: “AEROLIMENAS-PEIRAIAS”
Don’t get confused.
This is a Greek version of saying: “Airport – Piraeus”, so it’s the same…HOW TO GET FROM ATHENS AIRPORT TO RAFINA PORT
The timetables for the bus from Athens Airport to Rafina are in the following table, but you should always check the official website of KTEL Buses for the latest timetables:
HOW TO GET FROM ATHENS AIRPORT TO CENTRAL ATHENS
The X95 bus stop is next to the X96 bus stop and the tickets are exactly the same and are sold from the same kiosk.
This is the Bus X95 route (from Athens airport to Syntagma Square – central Athens):
You can also take the metro line 3 to get to Syntagma Square from the Athens Airport.Check on this link the timetables for Athens metro lines
These are the timetables of Athens Metro Line 3 to and from the Airport (there is a train every 36 minutes):
For me, the best way to check timetables and book ferry tickets online has been Ferryhopper for the last few years, and I highly recommend it to everyone looking to takea ferry to Ios from Athens.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How long is the ferry ride from Athens to Ios?
What is the best way to travel from Athens to Ios?
The best way to travel from Athens to Ios is by the fast ferry from Piraeus port because it is relatively quick and easier than any other option.
Is it better to fly or ferry to Ios?
There is no airport in Ios so you are only left with ferries. Otherwise, I would suggest that you fly to Santorini and then take a 40-minute ferry from there to Ios.
